'Kid Nation' producer: Viewers will decide if reality series went "too far"

UPI News Service, 09/18/2007

Tom Foreman, the executive producer of the new U.S. reality TV show, "Kid Nation," says viewers will decide when a show goes too far.

ADVERTISEMENT

The series, which is slated to debut on CBS Wednesday, challenges dozens of 8- to 15-year-old children to build an adult-free society in a deserted New Mexico town over the course of 40 days.

Critics have blasted the producers for subjecting kids to long hours and hazardous conditions, both claims the network has vehemently denied.

Asked what is "too far" when it comes to reality television, Foreman told Forbes: "The viewers will be the ones who set it.

"It is a ratings-driven business," he added. "If you don't like something, if you think it's gone too far, if it's not the kind of programming you want to watch, then don't, and that programming quickly disappears."

Foreman said he thinks the show will be compelling viewing because children have different motives than adult competitors.

"They tell us what they think, they tell each other what they think, and they are not looking at this as a way to land an acting gig. ... They really went out there to try to build a world."